Back in the swing of things

Friday:

I carried my running gear to work every day this week in the hopes that I would feel well enough to run.  Finally by Friday I was ready to get out there!  It was a sunny day, and I eagerly kept watching the temperature on wx.ca throughout the morning.  Finally around noon it climbed to 0 deg C.  Score!  Technically Friday was a rest day, but considering I’d done nothing but rest all week I was itching to get out.

I know a lot of people that find that temperature downright chilly, but 0C here in the sun is amazing!  I took a chance and went out in capris, a short sleeve tech top and a long sleeve tech top.  That’s it.  In the sunshine with minimal wind it wound up being the perfect amount of clothing to wear.  I was testing out a long sleeve top from lululemon, the Run: Swiftly Tech LS.  It is a really lightweight top with silver fibres woven in the fabric so that makes the shirt anti-stink.  The hem is nice and long on it and I definitely appreciate the extra coverage as I often find most tech tops a bit on the short side.  I loved it!  My old short sleeve underneath was stinky but the long sleeve top was in pretty good shape.  Kind of pricey for a tech shirt, but I really did like it.  The run felt good, and it was great to be outside.

Saturday:

I had a 1:15 long run on the schedule, along with a swim.  I have a new motto: “Embrace winter!”

It was –12C out, but luckily the sun was out.  My approach to running in the cold weather now is to note the temperature, figure out what to wear, but don’t stress about it!  I put on tights, a long sleeve tech shirt, a midweight layer and a jacket.  I started out from downtown and headed west along the north side of the Bow River.  Just as I headed out I ran into my friend Kevin who was just finishing up his long run.  He and his friends were covered in frost but he assured me that it was beautiful out there.

As I started along initially my fingers were a bit cold, but it wasn’t too long before the digits warmed up.  When I got going I really felt like I could run forever.  Now…a 1:15 run is on the borderline for where I carry water and fuel with me.  Ahem, turns out I probably should have carried it with me on this run.  Once I turned around things started to feel quite a bit tougher and the final mile turned out to be quite the slog.  I had crossed over to the other side of the river by this point and the pathway was in the shade.  The wind was whipping through and it was the only time that I felt really quite cold.  Luckily it wasn’t too far back to the YMCA from there.

I hustled inside and quickly ate some cottage cheese and fruit.  By the time I was done with my snack I was pretty cold so I opted for a really hot shower instead of going for a swim.  I may have to figure out a new plan for my run/swim combo while this cool weather continues!

Sunday:

It was time to get on the bike!  I had a just over 70 minute workout that included some steady state intervals and some hill climbs.  Something on my bike is making a noise.  I couldn’t figure out the cause so I’ll have to pop into Bow Cycle a bit early before spin class on Tuesday to get it sorted out.  The workout went really well and my legs were tired!  After the workout I hopped off the bike, did some lunges and squats, ran through some core work and that was it!